Researching Alaska Cruises for next year

I feel like I am already late planning. Next year my husband and I wish to celebrate our 20th anniversary with an Alaskian cruise. We are limited to about 10 days of vacation and flying Southwest airlines. We still work and have children at home. So I have been looking at Seattle for departure and return port. I have never flown and only cruised once before.

I realize there are much more spectacular cruise and land tour packages but I think we are going to have to settle for a round trip cruise out of Seattle.

What itineraries do you suggest?

What should I avoid?

We will be sailing in May I prefer not to push it back but if there was a major reason why we should, we might be able to. I understand this is called "shoulder season" and kind of early for Alaska?

Many thanks :)

An itinerary that includes Glacier Bay will be nice. We also did the Alaska cruise on a month of May and not as cold as we expected. We also had rain so a hooded light jacket will be fine. We also took Southwest Airline and its 2 free checked bags worked well during our packing.

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You still have time to research and find the best cruise for you.

As you view itineraries pay close attention to port times. You need to be in port long enough and at the right time for planned activities.

I wouldn't rule out RT Vancouver ......easy to fly into Seatac then transfer to vancouver by Amtrak, a bus company, rental car, or cruiseline transfer. Vancouver sailings travel between Vanc Island and mainland BC so its more scenic and generally calmer seas. The Seattle sailings travel on the west side of the Island so its like open ocean, no scenery. Also, Seattle sailings must stop in victoria.....usually just 4 hrs in the evening.

Have fun with your research!

May is shoulder season, but can offer good to great weather, depending .... there is no guarantee on weather, but our experience has generally been good weather. Except for our most recent trip, mid-May. The first day out of Vancouver, I really appreciated ALL the layers I brought with me. Base layer, t-shirt, fleecy, vest, and down sweater. With wool socks and boots for my feet. Cold, rainy (like something from a movie), and windy. Next day in Juneau -- sunny and people were swimming in the outdoor pool.

I agree with MAplesleaves' suggestion that you consider Vancouver R/T itineraries, as there are many ways to get from Seattle to Vancouver.

I will loo at Vancouver. I kind of got overwhelmed trying to figure out getting from Seattle to Vancouver in time to board a ship. It looked like I would need to fly in one day, stay over night travel to Vancouver the next day, get another hotel for the night, then board ship. Seemed like it would add 2 days/nights to the beginning and end of the trip. Maybe I misunderstood the whole process :o

Depends on when your flight arrives at Seatac. The late train leaves seattle at 6:50pm. Gets you to vanc at 11pm. Then you can spend several hrs sightseeing in vanc before boarding the ship.

The morning train leaves at 7:45am.

Or take greyhound bus, or quick coach, or rent a car......

They are just options to consider. This transfer is the easiest thing to work out. I'd focus on the cruise itineraries first.

You have time to plan. Don't worry that you are late in the planning. I love to go at the end of May. Great time to see Alaska :)

I would also put a plug into Glacier Bay!

We were on the Carnival Legend 8 night Alaskan cruise on May 8th. I booked about 15 months before the cruise. It was round trip out of Seattle. I think this next May the Legend is in dry dock the first 2 weeks of May.

It is not too late but I would try to book soon if I were you. Our cruise went up around $600 on our balcony room within about 6 months after I booked. I was glad I did book early. It was our favorite cruise. If we ever go again, I would want to go in May because of all the snow. It was beautiful!

If you're looking to go round-trip out of Seattle, we've booked a seven day RT out of Seattle on Holland America for June 2018. It goes to Glacier Bay and stops in Sitka. Obviously, we've not taken the cruise yet but I did a lot of research and am really looking forward to it.

Another vote for Glacier Bay to be included in the itinerary. Vancouver is a $60 shuttle ride. Vancouver has lots to offer for a multi-day stay at your bonus port.

We fly Southwest Airlines to Seattle, rent a car at the airport, drive three hours to Vancouver, drop off the car at the Avis or Hertz offices five blocks from the Cruise Terminal, spend the night, and cruise the next day.

Returning from the cruise, we take a taxi to the Vancouver airport, rent a car, drive to the Seattle airport and fly out the same early evening.

My opinion here & what we did...

1. Choose an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. It is National Park & a World Heritage Site. And it offers guaranteed glacier viewing.

2. Don't rule out Vancouver round trips.

When travelling with our 4.5 year old son, we flew into Seattle & took Amtrak to Vancouver. (Stayed 1 night in Vancouver) upon our return to Vancouver, we took Amtrak back to Seattle & flew home the next day. (I think we used 9 days total)

Thanks for the info on Transport to Vancouver. Currently flights are not released for May so I am going by times for previous months. All the flights from my airport arrive in Seattle late in the day and all the flights back leave early. Like the flight up leaves here at 7:50 am arrives and 6:55pm then to return it leaves at 6:35 am and arrives back at 7:05 pm. Im going to have to convince my husband to drive and fly out of New Orleans I think but that only curts it down to an 8 hour trip

I hope you don't really think of an Alaska roundtrip Seattle as "settling." That can be a wonderful thing, and I certainly wouldn't think of it that way. One of the Seattle roundtrips that go to Glacier Bay would be a great choice. I imagine that what others are saying about it being a reasonable schlep over to do a Vancouver roundtrip would make that a great choice as well. But if you've never visited Seattle (or even if you have), you might find it more peaceful to fly in there a day or two early and do some exploring there. It's a great place.

I didnt mean it as settling for something less but more of thats the best choice for our circumstances. I am not a well traveled person. I have never flown and only cruised once before. Usually we vacation close to home (within an 8 hour drive). So traveling by air and cruising is a big deal for me. I am very excited. However I do not want to overwhelm us with "fly to A, take train to B, board cruise ship, cruise to C, Take land tours to D E and F, Travel back to B, Take train back to A, fly home". Its probably more then i can plan and enjoy at this point.

I'll stick with Seattle RT and enjoy the heck out of the cruise :)

I have decided on Glacier Bay and am ignoring anything with Tracy Arm. Looks like Ruby Princess and NCL Sun or Pearl are more most likely options. I am leaning toward the Princess

This is the Princess Line up:

Saturday, April 28 Seattle, WA 4:00pm

Sunday, April 29 At Sea

Monday, April 30 Juneau, AK 11:00am -10:00pm

Tuesday, May 1 Skagway, AK 6:00am- 8:00pm

Wednesday, May 2 Glacier Bay National Park, AK (Cruising)

Thursday, May 3 Ketchikan, AK 7:00am -1:00pm

Friday, May 4 Victoria, BC, Canada 7:00pm -11:59pm

Saturday, May 5 Seattle, WA 7:00am

You will LOVE your cruise. I did a Seattle RT last Aug and it was amazing, I'd do it again tomorrow if I could. Your trip will be whatever you make it, so I say take the less stressful route and just have fun.

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take your time .....don't be in a rush to make a decision.

Seattle RT sounds like a good choice for your circumstances and will make your trip easy.

But look closely at those port times though . ie Ketchikan 7am-1pm. Does 3 or 4 hours give you enough time for planned activities ?

Will the late arrival in Juneau impact your plans ?

Not saying this is a bad itinerary .... just advising you to look at the whole picture to ensure the itinerary meets your sightseeing needs.

All the cruise line iteniraries are almost the same. One may have a little more time in one port while a different line has more time in a different port like this is NCL Sun 9 day

Thursday, April 19Seattle, WA4:00pm

Friday, April 20At Sea

Saturday, April 21Juneau, AK2:00pm 10:00pm

Sunday, April 22Skagway, AK7:00am 8:00pm

Monday, April 23Glacier Bay National Park, AK (Cruising)

Tuesday, April 24Icy Strait Point, AK7:00am 4:00pm

Wednesday, April 25Ketchikan, AK10:00am 7:00pm

Thursday, April 26At Sea

Friday, April 27Victoria, BC, Canada12:00pm 11:59pm

Saturday, April 28Seattle, WA8:00am

take your time .....don't be in a rush to make a decision.

Seattle RT sounds like a good choice for your circumstances and will make your trip easy.

 

But look closely at those port times though . ie Ketchikan 7am-1pm. Does 3 or 4 hours give you enough time for planned activities ?

Will the late arrival in Juneau impact your plans ?

 

Not saying this is a bad itinerary .... just advising you to look at the whole picture to ensure the itinerary meets your sightseeing needs.

A 7-day Seattle cruise with one glacier cruising day and 3 Alaska ports is going to have a short visit in one of the ports because of the time it takes to sail from Seattle to Alaska. The one the OP posted spends good chunks of time in Skagway and Juneau. The 7-day Seattle HAL cruises have the same 7 AM to 1 PM Ketchican port time. Is there another 7-day Seattle itinerary that you feel is better?

Cruising Alaska from Seattle wouldn't be my ideal trip, but I've traveled a lot and am pretty comfortable with airports, trains, rental cars and all the other moving parts of planning a trip. For a first venture far afield, I can understand wanting simpler logistics. It's a good plan - with 10 days, they could stay a couple of nights in Seattle having a nice visit there before getting on the ship.

Would you lean more toward the 9 day NCL or the 7 day Princess?

Same exact price no major perks for booking one over the other (onboard credit etc) I have cruised NCL before so i like "dine when you want to" deal but Princess offers that option as well.

Both ships are smaller and older and i am fine with that. Husband says he can take 14 days off so there is that part of me that wants the longer cruise but another part isnt sure about it.

All the cruise line iteniraries are almost the same. One may have a little more time in one port while a different line has more time in a different port like this is NCL Sun 9 day

Thursday, April 19Seattle, WA4:00pm

Friday, April 20At Sea

Saturday, April 21Juneau, AK2:00pm 10:00pm

Sunday, April 22Skagway, AK7:00am 8:00pm

Monday, April 23Glacier Bay National Park, AK (Cruising)

Tuesday, April 24Icy Strait Point, AK7:00am 4:00pm

Wednesday, April 25Ketchikan, AK10:00am 7:00pm

Thursday, April 26At Sea

Friday, April 27Victoria, BC, Canada12:00pm 11:59pm

Saturday, April 28Seattle, WA8:00am

I would research April's weather before booking this cruise. I would also check with the excursions you are interested in and see if they are operating this early. This is really early for Alaskan cruises. I honestly don't know what to expect weather wise.

Would you lean more toward the 9 day NCL or the 7 day Princess?

Same exact price no major perks for booking one over the other (onboard credit etc) I have cruised NCL before so i like "dine when you want to" deal but Princess offers that option as well.

Both ships are smaller and older and i am fine with that. Husband says he can take 14 days off so there is that part of me that wants the longer cruise but another part isnt sure about it.

If they were running at the same time in May or the NCL cruise was later than the Princess, I'd lean toward the 9 day.

You get an additional port, Icy Strait, and I've read a lot of positive comments about that port. Also you get much better port times in Juneau - 8 hours and arrive in Victoria at noon instead of 7 PM. That means you would have time for an excursion to the very lovely Buchart Gardens. The only downside on port times is arriving at Juneau at 2 PM instead of at 11 AM - the later arrival might remove some options there - but it is more than made up for by the positives. Some things you might have done in Juneau like a whale watching boat, you could do in Icy Strait. There is a lot of daylight so perhaps it doesn't limit your options that much.

The fly in the ointment is that the NCL cruise is so early as Coral pointed out.

Hi Victoria - if your husband says he can take 14 days off, why not consider HAL's 14 day itinerary which is roundtrip from Seattle? It includes several little visited ports like Homer, Kodiak, Anchorage (the city itself, not Seward or Whittier), Icy Strait Point, and Sitka - as well as the usual 'suspects' of Ketchikan, Juneau, Victoria, BC, plus Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm. I've done this particular itinerary three times and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. It is a wonderful trip on a smaller HAL ship (the Zaandam next year, I believe) that feels like 'home' in no time. Something to consider....

Hi Victoria - if your husband says he can take 14 days off, why not consider HAL's 14 day itinerary which is roundtrip from Seattle? It includes several little visited ports like Homer, Kodiak, Anchorage (the city itself, not Seward or Whittier), Icy Strait Point, and Sitka - as well as the usual 'suspects' of Ketchikan, Juneau, Victoria, BC, plus Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm. I've done this particular itinerary three times and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. It is a wonderful trip on a smaller HAL ship (the Zaandam next year, I believe) that feels like 'home' in no time. Something to consider....

I will have to look at that one. We need to add travel days to the beginning and end of our trip. Flight is long and, from what i can tell by looking at flights currently listed, will put us haveing to fly in the day before we embark and fly out the day after the ship returns. 14 days plus 2 travel days would be outside his alloted vacation time.

You've gotten a lot of really good responses and suggestions here. We have traveled to Alaska in May several times. It is typically the driest month, but can be a tad chilly....maybe 50's and 60's. Seattle is a very easy port to sail from. Vancouver is also easy, but airfare will be much higher. That being said, you have a chance of sailing further north than the RT Seattle cruises. IF you can do the 14 day Holland America cruise, I highly recommend that one! It was one of our favorite Alaska cruises....you get to ports that other lines don't visit. I have several posts on my travel blog about Alaska. You can view them at www.zest4travel.wordpress.com I have also included a packing list.